Can I Get Rid of my Cheek Piercing Scar?

Question

I had my cheeks pierced for a year and took them out Jan 1 of this year. I used vitamin e for about a month and since have been using mederma they seem so be fading but is there an additional thing I can try or a type of plastic surgery?

Thomas T. Le, MD · Answer

Having dealt with numerous penetrating injuries to the cheek in the high-acuity trauma setting (bullets, stabs, avulsions, etc), I have significant experience in dealing with complex cheek scars. A cheek piercing is really no different. The scar can certainly be effaced and leveled out such that it is flush with the surround skin. You would have to trade off for a minor surface line scar as a result of the correction, but these scars would be much less noticeable than what you currently have because your skin would be level without the casting of major shadows. A thorough examination is necessary. I would be happy to provide you an evaluation and show you cases similar to you.

Young R. Cho, MD, PhD · Answer

If you have a mature piercing site, then the best way to remove 
it is to cut out the track and suture this together.  You will be 
trading off a hole for a small scar which will likely draw less 
attention.  You can add lasers to the treatment to further reduce the 
appearance of the scar

Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS · Answer

I disagree with those who say "Yes." Unless, of course, they tell you that a new scar will take the place of the old one!

	Sure, any well-trained plastic surgeon or facial plastic surgeon can cut out the piercing tract and carefully repair the layers. That is basic plastic surgery, and ALL of us are very capable of doing that.

	Some will take care to minimize the new scar, orient the scar in the proper lines of relaxed skin tension, utilize fine sutures and delicate, precise technique, while minimizing the potential for oral bacteria to cause an infection that could wreck the whole thing! Others may cut out a chunk, sew it quickly and with little care, and you get what you paid for. But in either case, a new scar will remain!

	Seek an experienced, Board-certified plastic surgeon or facial plastic surgeon who lets you know that even though these piercing scars are small, they are worthy of all their skill and training being utilized to make these new scars as minimally visible as possible. You will stilll have permanent scars at each location; NO surgeon or surgical technique exists that can completely remove or eliminate scars!

Stephen Prendiville, MD · Answer

The brief answer is yes. The scar can be excised and made to look quite acceptable by a qualified Facial Plastic Surgeon. However, it is important to understand that in so doing, you will be trading one scar for another. The scar will go through various stages of healing and look best after a full year.

Scott Trimas, MD · Answer

Removing cheek piercing scars typically involves a simple excision to remove the pierced area and replacing that scar with a fine line. The fine line from this procedure can be further minimized by the use of lasers that make scars less visible or topical creams like mederma.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Absolutely. Cheek piercings do not always heal properly as they penetrate several important elements of the buccal anatomy. I routinely perform scar revision on patients who have undergone piercings and want scar revision of these scars. The process entails a core incision with layered sutures. I typically perform these scar revisions of piercing under local anesthesia.

Jessica J. Krant, MD, MPH · Answer

Mederma and Vitamin E oil are not proven scientifically to help scars much. What mostly helps is time, and massage. But this type of deeply pierced scar tissue is really unlikely to get better on its own. I recommend a consultation with a skilled and experienced plastic surgeon who will know how to properly release the bound-down scar tissue and improve the look greatly.

D.J. Verret, MD · Answer

I would definitely suggest visiting with a facial plastic surgeon to discuss your options for scar revision if you are not happy with your results. There are several options for revision but the key is to close each layer fo the cheek individually. As was pointed out though, you will be trading one scar for another and unfortunately there are not guarantees.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

Unfortunately, any body piercing will cause a permanent scar. Yes, the scar should fade over time, but it will leave a permanent mark. Vitamin E has not shown to improve scars at all, and Mederma has not been proven to help either. Most of the time, the scar will mature on its own.

Richard Galitz, MD, FACS (in memoriam) · Answer

The problem here is that in all piercing situations there is an epithelial tract or tunnel that has to be dealt with. If you excise the superficial part of the piercing you run the risk of developing an epithelial cyst down the line. It is best to excise as much of the tract as possible so long as this does not leave you with a worse scar than the piercing

Can I Get Rid of my Cheek Piercing Scar?

Answers (10)